Balwinski earns Eagle Scout rank

By the Midland Daily News

Updated 7:15 am, Friday, April 17, 2015

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Spencer McKie Balwinski

Spencer McKie Balwinski

Balwinski earns Eagle Scout rank

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The Boy Scouts of America organization has officially recognized Spencer McKie Balwinski’s achievement of earning the rank of Eagle Scout. His Court of Honor took place at the Hemlock United Methodist Church.

He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 337, which meets at Hemlock United Methodist Church under the leadership of Scoutmaster Kevin Leitz.

He has attended two National Boy Scout Jamborees, the first being the 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. For 10 days, he was one of 40,000 Scouts from all over the world who had gathered at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. In 2013, Balwinski joined 45,000 scouts for eight days at the National Boy Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, where he held the position of Assistant Senior Patrol Leader within his troop.

Balwinski is a brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow. He earned his Arrow of Light as a Cub Scout along with the Leave No Trace and World Conservation awards. He graduated from National Youth Leadership Training at Paul Bunyan Scout Reservation and was asked to return as a trainer the following year. After two summers as a counselor in training at Boy Scout Camp Rotary in Clare, Balwinski was hired for the 2014 summer season to supervise the waterfront area and teach Scouts the information needed to obtain oceanography and kayaking merit badges.

His Eagle Scout project was managing the Hemlock United Methodist Church’s food pantry storage area clean-up. With help from fellow Scouts, friends and family, they cleared the space, cleaned and disinfected the walls, and then painted them with an antimicrobial coating to prevent future mold growth. To complete the project, they built and installed full-length shelving units to store pantry items.

Balwinski, a senior at Hemlock High School, is the son of Michael and Gena Balwinski of Hemlock.